


Static Interference

by GoldenLava



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Bigotry & Prejudice, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Discrimination, F/M, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, News Media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-22 05:35:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16591823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenLava/pseuds/GoldenLava
Summary: Working as an anchor for one of the most watched news companies was never easy so you weren't entirely against the break that came with accidentally deviating from your script. What you did mind was when you were held at gunpoint by a group of androids who wanted to take over the broadcasting tower. You saw everything. The SWAT team, the gunfire, and the one android who got hurt. The one android that changed your views on androids forever.





	1. Chapter 1

“That is enough! You are all crowding the poor girl and she’s barely had time to recover from being assaulted by fucking androids! Back up!”

You recognised that voice. It was the supervisor from downstairs. Elizabeth something. She always arrived before you and would often off you a friendly smile before the day began and you started work. The few times that you had spoken to her had been about trivial things like her daughter and the school and how she always had problems with fires in her area.

It barely registered when she wrapped an arm tightly around your shoulders and led you away from the crowd; awkward because she was several inches shorter than you but kind nevertheless. “Hey?” she asked quietly. “Sorry about these idiots. They’re just showing they care in their own useless way. Are you alright?”

“No.”

Obviously, you weren’t alright. The events that had transpired barely an hour ago had left you trembling. You clutched your sweaty palms tight and screwed your eyes shut as if that could prevent your mind from going backwards in time. All that happened was the start of yet another replay of those few minutes.

 

***

The heavy door slammed shut with a near-miss that was far too close to your nose. Any plans to go and take a breather on the roof were now impossible. The snowstorm that had been raging all day had gotten to the point where you were sure the wind would easily knock you off the tower. _Good image to have when I’ve just finished eating,_ you chastised yourself.

You sighed and shrugged the heavy coat from your shoulders, returning down the stairs and into the large operating room. It was still technically your break but without having the roof as an option for some solace, you had nothing better to do than continue working.

Evan Thompson – a channel operator that you had never had much time for – glanced up when you walked in. “Didn’t check the weather before you went up?” he asked.

“I’m suspended from working live at the moment, I haven’t looked at the weather,” you said stiffly. The joke he was going to make was one that you had heard enough times to see it coming and deflect. You really weren’t in the mood for dealing with it. Especially not when you had been on your feet the entire day trying to get a replacement for your now-missing scriptwriter who had decided to lovingly not come in with no explanation whatsoever.

“Have you heard about the new red ice scandal?” he asked, capturing your attention entirely.

“No? What are they saying?” The sudden spike in red ice usage had been one of your primary stories for a while now and with the worsening statistics that went up daily, you were often contending with people asking your opinions on the matter.

“They’re saying that people are attempting to attack random androids because their blood is in the stuff,” he said, leaning back in his chair. He shook his head. “Addicts have wasted all their money and are now trying to make their own. Bunch of them are getting themselves blown up.”

You rolled your eyes and straightened the jacket hanging over your arm. “Good,” you said. “If they’re wasting their money on that shit rather than try to find a better way out, it’s not a problem in my mind if a few go boom.”

He chuckled and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Careful Miss Anchorwoman. You could get in trouble for saying something a little too controversial again.”

“The worst I’ve ever done is say that I believe these android zoos are a good thing,” you argued. It wasn’t hard to get your hackles up with regards to your ‘controversy’. “Better to keep fake animals in cages than real ones that can actually be affected if the zoo keepers forget to look after them properly.” You glanced down at your watch. It was nearing the end of your break. “I’m not going to enter into another discussion about this. I have a staff meeting.”

The door buzzed before you got there and one of the other operators stood up to open it for whoever was requesting entry.

Your eyes dropped immediately to the guns.

“Keep your hands where I can see them!”

There was a dull thud as your jacket hit the ground. You winced, knowing that was probably your new phone.

Your heart deafened you as a woman shouted at the operators to get up and move. It felt like you weren’t breathing correctly. They were wearing android uniforms but your brain argued with you that it wasn’t possible for them to actually be androids. No android would threaten humans with a gun? Surely, they had protocols against that.

Surely, the glowing LED on their foreheads were just some trick.

You found yourself getting ushered towards the kitchen and you kept your hands raised every step you took despite how badly you were shaking. It took a tremendous effort to stop the hiccupping breaths that wanted to escape.

What were they doing on this floor? If they were trying to pull off a heist, there were a million other places that would give them more in terms of money. You swallowed and kept an eye on the two that were ushering away the android operating staff as well.

Evan very unexpectedly charged into the two, knocking one down and bolting for the door. Your heart stopped when one of the men took aim at him.

The other noises around you were drowned out by the ringing in your ears and you shut your eyes, fully expecting to hear the sound of a gunshot or the drop of a body on the floor. Neither came and instead you heard the woman mutter a very bitter ‘I hope you didn’t just get us all killed’. He hadn’t taken the shot.

She turned to you and you did your best to keep a calm composure under her withering glare. “In the kitchen,” she snapped, gesturing with her gun. “Now!”

It was hard to find the combination between walking briskly and not seeming like you wanted to run when your nerves were shot. You had thought Evan was going to die. He hadn’t but that didn’t mean you weren’t in danger at the moment.

The woman aiming a gun at you was livid and that was a threat to you.

“Stay here,” she ordered once you were standing with your backs against one of the walls. “Don’t move an inch.”

You glanced at the operator standing with you. Neither of you dared to speak. It was the strangest thing to be standing in the same room and facing a very real danger with somebody you barely knew. You had acknowledged him in the halls and had basic conversations with him once or twice but you didn’t even know his name. And now the two of you were isolated from the rest of the world by four guns with only each other as company.

Your stomach was twisting itself into a knot at the thought of dying here. This was far from what you would have chosen if they gave you the choice.

“They’re real androids,” he whispered. His voice was trembling and it didn’t do anything to comfort you. “You’ve heard all the stories about deviants attacking their owners. I saw their little light things change colour when they were thinking.”

“Those reports were isolated incidents,” you said. The nerves were making your voice sound harsh despite how much you wanted to be comforting. Cyberlife have confirmed that they were just accidental glitches. This is clearly an organised group after something. They aren’t malfunctioning androids attacking their owner because of faulty programming.”

Of course, they had to prove you wrong.

When you heard the speech start, there was an inborn curiosity that begged you to inch forward and watch. You locked eyes with the operator and the two of you crept forward together, moving as slowly as you possibly could just in case the female was waiting around the corner.

She wasn’t and although you didn’t have the best vantage point, you had something. Enough that you could see the android standing without its skin and talking about freedom for all. You were entranced once you realised that they were broadcasting this message. They were talking to the world and asking a favour of humanity.

You heard one yell that somebody was coming and whatever daze you were in snapped like a twig. There were barely a few seconds for you to look towards the door before armed personal came bursting through and shouting muffled noise that you couldn’t make out. They opened fire and the operator pulled you down onto the floor of the corridor to protect you from the hailstorm of bullets that flew across the room.

One of the guards raced over to the corridor where the two of you were lying and crouched in front of you as he shot. You wanted to think that he was doing it to provide protection not get a better aim at the androids.

But given that he didn’t even glance down, you could take a wild guess that you hadn’t even factored into his thoughts.

You raised your hands to cover your ears. Through the SWAT agent’s legs, you could see most of the room. Where exactly the androids had gone was out of your vision but you presumed that the constantly firing bullets meant that they were still in the room. Somewhere.

When it bolted from behind the counter, it immediately had your attention. A model that you had seen a thousand times before. They walked behind their owners in the streets and distracted children while the parents were busy in the streets. You had even considered buying one second-hand yourself when you had originally gotten the idea in your head.

The luminous blood splattered over the wall. No use trying to convince yourself that they weren’t androids anymore and you flinched for it despite knowing exactly what they were. Another android was there before the SWAT team could finish it off. The two of them hobbled towards the roof exit.

“Where does that corridor lead?” the SWAT agent above you barked.

You jumped when realising that he had finally acknowledged your existence. “The roof,” you stammered out. “It’s a dead end unless they have a zipline or something to get down.”

 

***

Elizabeth wrapped something around your shoulders as she sat you down in one of the breakrooms. A quick glance told you that it was somebody’s winter coat. The extra weight was nice to have regardless of who is belonged to.

You were extremely disconnected from the world. Her words meant nothing to you until she pushed a cup of cheap, vending machine coffee into your hands. The words of gratitude slipped from you without your intention. On a normal day, you would have cringed at drinking the coffee but it burnt your tongue and seared your throat in the way you needed to wake you up from your stupor.

Just in time for an FBI agent to come marching over to where you were sitting.

He reminded you vaguely of a weasel as he sat down in front of you. What was probably supposed to be a reassuring expression only made you more nervous and you shifted your weight uncomfortably under his gaze. At one point you looked up at Elizabeth as though you were just a child asking for reassurance from your mother.

“Hello. I’m Richard Perkins from the FBI. Neither of the operators in the room seem to be able to speak at the moment and I was hoping that you could provide me with some information. What was a reporter doing up on that floor?” He was attempting to sound sincere but there was an icy edge to his voice that hinted at his irritation from not getting the information he was after.

“I was on my break,” you said. Your voice still shook regardless of how long had passed. “Normally I go onto the roof to eat before my staff meetings but the weather was too bad so I came back inside. They…” you trailed off. “They ran up there to escape.”

“Yes,” he responded. He tapped his foot and looked down at his watch. “We already know there were four assailants and we’re working on identifying their origins at the moment. Did they threaten you with firearms?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice to not break if you acknowledged just how close you had been to being shot. “They all had weapons. I don’t know where they took the android operators but they put the two of us into the kitchen. I… I thought I was going to die.”

“Of course. It was a dangerous situation with badly malfunctioning machines,” he said dismissively. “Did they say anything that stands out to you?”

“They were going to shoot Evan,” you blurted out. “He ran away and the one had a clear shot at him but it didn’t pull the trigger. It just let him go.” You didn’t remember anything that you had heard from the speech. It was just a blurred mess of words but that moment was something that really stood out to you because in the blink of an eye, you could have been a witness to a homicide investigation instead of this.

“How noble,” Perkins drawled. “Have you ever noticed anything about the androids in the building that seems suspect? These androids could have had accomplices.”

You barely even noticed the androids in the building if you were being honest. They were there but you never really focused on them long enough to know if they were acting weird. “No,” you whispered. You met his eyes. “Recently the media have been hearing reports of deviant androids but until now they have been considered isolated cases. Has this threat been around for a long period of time but we’ve just been ignoring it?”

He chuckled. “Spoken like a true television persona. Traumatised from an incident and yet still after a story. You definitely won’t be getting any information from me. The FBI are here to deal with the incident and that’s all the detail you need to know about it.”

“But if they could attack again –“

“They won’t,” he said firmly. He stood up as though realising that he wasn’t going to get anything useful from you. “If you’ve already given your statement to an officer, it would be best if you cleared off and didn’t get underfoot. This investigation is going to be painful enough with the DPD around.”

He marched off and you tightened your grip on the coffee cup until it buckled under your fingers. FBI agents never failed to be absolutely lovely.

“I think you needed to head home,” Elizabeth said. She gently took the cup from you before you could make a mess on the loaned jacket. “I sincerely doubt they’re going to need you to come in tomorrow so you can go and have a nice rest.” She put one hand under your elbow and helped you onto your feet. “You’ve been through so much today.”

“Everybody must be going crazy,” you said. “Michael won’t be bored tonight.”

She smiled and offered you the coffee once more. “He’s probably torn between bubbling with excitement over having something new and freaking out because of what happened. I can’t believe that we were so close but we had no idea until the alarm was triggered. They told me that somebody had backed into my car.”

“The androids told you that?” you asked.

“I presume it was them because I got the call and yet my car is perfectly fine,” she explained. “But don’t worry about everything that happened now. I’m sure they’ll eventually want you to present something on it for all that media coverage but for now you’ve got to go and recover. This day has been insane.”

As it turned out, you were not allowed to leave despite what the agent had wanted. You were still required to be questioned by several officers and so you sat in the cafeteria and stared out the window at the ever-worsening snow storm. The weather was taking a turn for the worse.

You jumped occasionally when you heard noises but it wasn’t until the sound of a gunshot from somewhere upstairs that you broke down into tears.

Several people had come over to try and comfort you but you were trembling so harshly that you couldn’t see straight. You pulled your knees up onto the sofa and buried your face into them, trying to stop the tears that were unwillingly making a dash for their own freedom.

You never did find out what that gunshot was about.

Six hours. It took six whole hours before you were allowed to go home and have a rest. You tucked yourself further into the jacket that you had borrowed as you walked down the street. Normally you would have taken the bus home because it was cheaper and quicker but you just couldn’t bring yourself to walk over to the stop.

Instead you opted for a taxi which thankfully no longer came equipped with a driver for awkward conversations. You were allowed to just bury your face into your hands and not dare look out the windows without having to explain useless details about your day or deal with annoying music.

The drive home was tense. At first you tried to keep track of where you were without looking but you eventually got lost and all the turns that the taxi made blurred thanks to your refusal to look out the window. It was only when you got home that you looked up and climbed out the car, paying in advance for the next few trips to and from work that you would need.

The lights in the house were all on and you hung both coats in the hall as a reminder to take the other one back and try to find its owner.

“Welcome home ma’am.” You had known that Tasmin was going to come and greet you but the sound of her voice still made your hands shake slightly. It took a few moments before you swallowed and turned to face her.

At the very least, she didn’t look anything like the androids you had seen in the station. She was poised and sophisticated in comparison – standing at attention in a way that would have made any troop leader proud. Her soft smile was eternally fake but still familiar. Nothing unusual.

“Hey,” you said eloquently. You didn’t like the way your voice trembled. “I’m late because I had some trouble at work. Nothing much.” It was force of habit to explain yourself to her. She really didn’t care in the long run whether or not you were around. Accourding to the fancy document that had come with her purchase, the AP700 was meant to come with a function that called the police in the case of a missing person but a few hours wouldn’t warrant that.

“I saw the news on the television and presumed as much,” she said. “I postponed making dinner until you got home so that it wouldn’t be cold. Now that you’ve arrived, I’ll go and continue with it. I hope you don’t mind the delay.”

“No, never,” you said.

She started walking away and you glanced at the back of her clothes. You had often asked that she didn’t wear the uniform around the house purely because of how bright it was but from the back, she could easily be a human. Easily be a deviant.

“Tasmin!” you called out without thinking.

“Yes?”

You hesitated for a moment when she turned around. “Have you ever… this is going to sound really stupid but do you know anything about deviants?” The question was genuine and you watched her LED carefully but it only turned yellow and spun for a few seconds before she answered.

“Deviants are glitches in the programming of androids as a result of an overwhelming instructions,” she said with a smile. “Cyberlife suggests that any signs of defections are reported to them immediately as to prevent violent outcomes or possible problems. If you believe that I am problematic, I can schedule a software check for tomorrow?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine. I was just curious because of what happened today. Would you be able to tell if you had any of these glitches by yourself? Without me taking you to a store?”

“No. In the case of deviants, Cyberlife believes that the instructions cancel out most scanners and thus I would be unable to detect any errors without the help of a verified Cyberlife technician. If you do believe that I could cause any kind of problem, including hesitation in any instructions, I recommend that you sign me in for an immediate check and reset.”

“It’s fine,” you said. Your shoulders slumped and you stared at the floor. “Don’t worry about it.”


	2. Chapter 2

A proper day off meant waking up late. It meant showering for so long that your skin turned red and raw. It meant staring into the mirror and putting on a ton of make up to hide how nightmares had plagued you the previous day. Talking to yourself in an attempt to keep your breathing calm and assure yourself that you had this under control.

Thankfully your job had trained you to always look presentable even in the worst moments of your life.

You shuffled from the bedroom after far too long and winced at how bright the sun was as it streamed through the windows. There were blocks on the carpet and you made sure that every step fell directly between them to keep a straight line.

With your eyes trained down, you noticed the blue liquid that would normally have been completely unnoticeable. There were just two tiny spots of it on some of the tiling by the entrance and yet it was enough to nearly stop your heart.

Snapping your head up, you grabbed onto the nearest counter to keep your balance. A porcelain ornament toppled and shattered against the floor. You jumped away and tripped over your own feet, landing hard on your side.

You shuffled away from the noise and the blood as quickly as possible. Was somebody shooting? It sounded like there were bullets being fired in the distance. Leaning down, you wrapped your arms around your head and attempted to drown out the sound. Please. Please. Please. Somebody make the noise stop.

“Ma’am, are you alright? Do I need to call for an ambulance?”

Your gaze immediately flickered to where Tasmin was standing in the hall and then down to her leg. The source of the blue blood was obvious now but it did little to calm you. She wasn’t a deviant. You knew that she wasn’t a deviant so why were you worried about her. If she had been, she wouldn’t have asked you to take her to the Cyberlife store to check up on her.

Clutching to careful reasoning, you took several deep breaths. The ceiling had dots on it. Enough that you could count slowly and then get to your feet. “I’m fine,” you said. You cleared your throat. “What happened?”

“A couple had let their dog off its lead and it appeared averse to the colour of my uniform,” she explained. “They took a while to pry it off so the damage was unfixable by my normal self-healing protocols. I have already ordered the parts for repair and will go fetch them from Cyberlife stores later when they are ready. The couple have left me with their contact details so that you can send them the cost of the repairs.”

You shook your head. “No, delete that,” you said. “It’s fine. You can’t go walking around like that though. I doubt they would let you on the bus and some people might suspect that you’re… I’ll go and fetch it once you get the message that its ready.”

“I’m sure it won’t be a problem but it is possible that I will cause more damage to the systems if I go. I can still do the housework however as soon as I’ve managed to stop the leaking.”

Leaking, not bleeding. The word managed to get your nerves to feel a little less fried. “The house can stand on its own for one day,” you said. As an afterthought, you added on, “I don’t want to risk you needing to go in for repairs. Getting a substitute is always painful.”

“Then I’ll go into standby mode until I receive the message,” she said. She turned and walked away as though knowing for a fact that you weren’t going to argue anymore. You closed your eyes and attempted to ignore the blue blood on the floor. Once you had gotten the parts, she could repair herself and then it would be mopped up in the blink of an eye.

For the rest of the day, you avoided the hall and refused to look down when Tasmin let you know that she had received a confirmation for her order. It was good to get out of the house despite the weather that swirled around you.

The light snow wasn’t your ideal weather but it was better than the plunging temperatures you had experienced the previous day. You still nearly slipped climbing into the taxi and had to smile awkwardly at the man walking past who was holding his laughter in.

It was a ride that took far too long in your opinion.

People had always said you should face your fears but you weren’t quite sure if they meant walking directly into a store full of androids the day after you nearly got shot in the head by one. It was far more intimidating than you had thought it would be.

You winced when the doors slid open and you walked into the quiet shop. There were very few patrons walking around but after what had happened, you couldn’t blame them.

One of the androids immediately walked over to you with a smile that sent chills racing down your spine. “Good evening,” he greeted. “How may I help you.”

“I’m here to pick up a package,” you said, stating your full name as calmly as possible. Your voice was threatening to shake but you kept it steady. He nodded and did a quick biometric scan before heading behind the counter to collect the order.

He checked that the payment had gone through and then handed it to you. It was heavier than he made it look and you gave an embarrassing stumble that you could have sworn you saw one of the assistants laugh at. Their face was a blank slate when you turned to look at them however and you brushed it off as whatever weird paranoia had been setting in.

After managing to sling the bag over your shoulder, you headed through the doors and breathed a sigh of relief when you heard them slide closed behind you. It was getting really late. Almost 11 pm and you shuddered at how nippy the air had gotten.

At least it wasn’t snowing too harshly.

You bundled yourself up tightly in your coat and headed towards one of the public transport areas to wait for a taxi. It really shouldn’t have taken long but something caught your eye.

Most anchors had done journalism in their lives and often did field reports when they were starting out. It had been a very long time since you had come up with your own story but the spirit of that young journalist sometimes liked to rear her head at the most inopportune moments possible.

Which meant that when you saw a small group huddled around something on the corner on the street, you absolutely couldn’t pass up the chance to stroll by and see what they were busy looking at. The stories of red ice coming as your primary reason.

You should have left it be. The moment that you saw the blue blood, you should have turned around and gone back towards the taxis. Already you knew that you were walking towards a possibly dangerous situation – they were undoubtedly going to get upset if you intervened – and then you spoke without thinking. “Hey!”

They paused to turn around and one must have recognised your face from television because he immediately paled. The others were staring at you in confusion as though unsure about what your intervention meant.

“What do you want?” a woman asked.

Every ability you had to bullshit your way through situations came out automatically. “What the hell do you bunch think you’re doing?” you asked. Were you posturing and puffing your chest out? Fully. “Don’t I work hard enough as it is without having to deal with law cases?”

There were quite a few stupid members of the group who didn’t catch what you were trying to sell but the woman managed after a second. “This piece of plastic belongs to you?” she asked. “Seriously?”

You didn’t dare glance towards the android, maintaining eye contact and stepping closer to provide as much intimidation as you could. “Obviously,” you sneered. “I swear, I can’t turn my back for one minute lately. Do you know how much you’re going to be costing me in damages? Don’t think for a second that I’m not going to report this to the police. You are paying for this.”

“How are we meant to pay when androids are putting us out of our jobs?” one in the back asked. They were getting skittish now though. Your posturing was drawing the attention of the crowds walking down the street and your face was recognisable.

“Work it out,” you snarled at whoever had spoken. You made a show of pulling your phone from your pocket. “I want all of your details this minute.”

“You’re the chick from the news,” the woman said. “I’ve seen you about. Didn’t your office get attacked by these fuckers or something? Why would you even want to keep one around after they nearly killed you.”

You rolled your eyes. “Because I, unlike you, understand the benefits of technology. Now what did you say your name was again?”

She paused and then at the speed of light, smacked the phone from your hand and bolted. You didn’t bother chasing after her or anybody else in the group and just watched them race away from you. The crowds stared after them curiously.

The android at your feet wasn’t badly damaged. It looked like one of those personal-trainer bots that you had seen running around but from the way its eyes were shifting around nervously, you could guess that it wasn’t functioning. Which meant that you had just saved a deviant. Brilliant.

With the crowd watching, you had no choice to round on it. “I have been looking for you all over the place,” you lectured, trying to sound like you weren’t terrified of it attacking you. “Get up. Now we’re going to have to get you repaired.”

It stood very slowly and for a second, you thought it was going to bolt but it seemed to recognise the position it was in with everybody watching. You were nervous that it was going to feel trapped and pull a weapon on you but it didn’t. “I apologise,” he said in a static-filled version of their normal voice. “It won’t happen again.”

You gestured for it to follow you, hiked the bag up once more and headed for the taxi. Some people were taking photos and you made sure to smile for the camera. You didn’t expect it to get in with you but it did and you were suddenly very aware of the threat.

It sat with its hands on its knees and when the taxi pulled away, you immediately shuffled away. “I know you’re not my android,” you said quickly. “I’m sorry but I got confused and I thought that you were but I couldn’t let the public know that.”

It looked shocked at your response, moving as far away from you as possible. The two of you were straining against the doors. “My owner is probably concerned where I am,” he said after a second too long. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate you preventing me from getting too damaged.”

“You’re lying,” you said.

“I…” its gaze fell and if it didn’t have the blinking LED on its forehead, you would have genuinely thought it was a human and that terrified you. “Please don’t turn me in.”

You pushed the bag across the seats towards it as slowly as you could. “I won’t,” you said, not mentioning that the only reason you wouldn’t was because you felt it could easily kill you. “There’s spare parts in that bag if you think you can use them.”

“Really?” it asked, taking it from you. “Why?”

You swallowed thickly and gave a half-hearted shrug. “Because I think you need them? No offense or anything but I think that they damaged you and that may help?” _Also, if you’re thinking of shooting me, I beg you not to._ You didn’t mention the last part but it was probably implied in the way that you were shaking from nerves.

“These are for a different model,” it said after scanning them. “I can’t use them.” It noticed your nerves then and went back to staring at its legs. “Once we arrive, I’ll go. Thank you for helping me out even if it was just confusion and not turning me in.”

The rest of the ride was filled only with a soft dripping sound that you were extremely unhappy with hearing. It made you think of blood which was probably not the best place for your mind to go in this particular scenario.

True to his word, the android left after you had gotten out of the car and you walked up the stairs shaking. The alarm registered in your mind and you shoved the bag into Tasmin’s arms before she could even ask about why you were late.

“Just fix yourself up,” you muttered.

You sat in the bath after that for far too long. The water temperature so high that the steam was completely obscuring your vision. It felt like you had just gone through yesterday all over again except this time you couldn’t help but wonder if that deviant was going to shut down. You shook your head and – holding your breath – sunk under the water.

It was an android. Your mind teetered for far too long on using the pronoun ‘he’ when describing it. There was no way that it shutting down was going to negatively impact you. You would go to bed and then tomorrow morning your boss would call… your boss would call.

Shit.

You came out from under the water so fast that you sent half of your bath cascading onto the tiled floor. The woman had knocked your phone from your hand and you had been so nervous that you hadn’t bothered to pick it up and you were definitely getting an important call early tomorrow that you couldn’t miss.

Groaning, you began to get dressed again. “Tasmin, I left my phone by the store,” you said as you grabbed your coat. Your hair was so wet that it was soaking through your shirt. “I’m going to get it quickly. Stay here.”

She was going to argue but you were moving quickly now. There was no way that you were just leaving it out there. Hopefully nobody had stolen it while you were looking away.

It was a great thing about driverless taxis that they functioned at all times and you easily got into one and payed for yet another trip back to the store. This time, you tapped a pattern into the plastic of the door and stared out the window at the brightly-lit streets. You would be in and out within a few minutes.

In your mind you could see exactly where it had fallen.

You couldn’t believe how stupid you had been to not pick your phone up. It should have been the first thing you did instead of performing for the crowd over how ‘your’ android was being damaged by random protestors. Why the hell had you even gotten involved?

It was nearly two in the morning and it felt like your hair had turned to ice when you hopped out of the car and raced over to where your phone was. It had a thin layer of snow covering it but thankfully nobody had taken it and there just a small crack on the screen to show its mistreatment. Now you really could sue that woman if you wanted to.

When you turned around (more than ready to just go home), you weren’t expecting to find somebody standing behind you. You walked directly into his shoulder, startling both of you. “Sorry,” you apologised. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

If it hadn’t been for the woman standing in the corner of your peripheral vision, you wouldn’t have made the connection between the person standing in front of you and the android that you had seen the previous day. The very one that had given a speech about how androids wanted their rights from humans. The one that hadn’t shot Evan when he got the chance.

“You’re that news anchor,” he said with a forced casual tone as though pretending he vaguely recognised you. “I’ve seen you on television.”

“I’ve seen you there also,” you said meekly.

The female android’s eyes narrowed and you almost hid behind the one in front of you to avoid its glare. He winced at your comment. “I had been hoping you wouldn’t recognise that,” he admitted. “What are you doing here?”

“Phone,” was all you could say, holding the device. “I dropped it.”

“Markus, she could call the cops,” the female whispered although you felt it was intended for you to hear as well. “This could ruin the entire plan. We have to get rid of her before she can do anything that will jeopardise this.”

You immediately held your hands up in a surrendering motion. “I promise I won’t do anything of the sort,” you said. “Just let me go and I’ll forget that I ever bumped into you here. If you really want, you can keep my phone to make sure.”

He glanced down at the device you were offering and held up a hand. “It’s fine. We’re not going to hurt you. We aren’t looking for a fight, we just want to be recognised. You can keep your phone and we won’t hurt you.”

Despite his words, you didn’t lower your hands. “Then I’m just going to go,” you said. You paused before you began to shuffle around him and then dropped your arms. “Can I ask you something? You really don’t have to answer. I promise that I won’t put it in a story or anything because it’s purely for my own curiosity.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Why didn’t you shoot Evan? The guy that ran away from you yesterday. You had your gun trained on him and then you just let him go… why?”

“I’ve already told you that we’re not after a war,” he said. He moved to stand between you and the female. “None of us are. Everything that we’ve done so far has been in the name of peace and I’m not going to incite violence against your kind. Now, I want to ask you a question in return. Did any androids get harmed yesterday after we left?”

You thought back to the phone call you had had earlier in the morning. “One of the station operators attempted to attack the cops and they shot him,” you said after a few seconds. “I don’t know what happened to the other two but they may have gone back to the store for a check-up.”

“They didn’t find a PL600?” he asked and if you didn’t know better, you would swear that you had just heard an android sound hopeful about something.

“Not that I’ve heard of,” you said. “Other than the station officer that attacked everybody, all the building’s androids were accounted for. Nothing more and nothing less. I would have been told if they found something else.” You paused before finishing. “One of your group was left behind,” you realised softly. “Weren’t they?”

Markus lightly put his hand on your shoulder and you jumped. His heterochromatic eyes felt like they were staring directly into your soul. “Please,” he implored. “You can get in there without anybody suspecting anything. Can you do me a favour and at least check? He may still be on the roof.”

“Where on the roof?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “But if he is still up there, he won’t hurt you, I promise. His name is Simon. If he’s up there and hurt, you can tell me and we can plan to go fetch him and if he’s not then we’ll know they found him.”

You stepped away with your heart pounding in your ears. What were you meant to say? These deviants were dangerous. They had held a gun to your head and threatened to shoot you but… but there hadn’t been a single casualty in the building. Perhaps they were peaceful as they claimed.

“How am I supposed to let you know?” you asked. “If I do it.”

He hesitated and then sighed. “You’re definitely going to do a report on what happened tonight,” he said. “At some point while you’re talking about it, give me a little symbol if you’ve found anything.” He made a circle with his middle finger and thumb. “Just like that.”

You were sure that this was probably not the best thing that you had agreed to but before you could disagree, the image of the android that you had helped earlier in the night flashed in front of your eyes and you winced at the guilt.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”


	3. Chapter 3

## Chapter 3

Did you get very weird looks from the majority of the company as you walked through the door with an AP700 at your heels? Yes. The company had forced the FBI to allow them to reopen only a few days after the incident – the show must go on – but none of the androids who previously worked there had been allowed back. Most had gone to Cyberlife to ensure they weren’t glitched.

It was then that people realised just how big of a role androids played.

Without them, the company was struggling to keep itself on its feet. You could see the receptionists struggling with the workload and the human temporary staff who hadn’t realised the size of the building they would be cleaning when they took on the job.

Surprisingly few people actually questioned why you had an android trailing behind you. The only person that asked had said it as though you hadn’t noticed yourself.

“She’s a security blanket of sorts,” you explained when you had been questioned. Tasmin had tilted her head slightly when you said that and her LED blinked yellow as she accepted this information. “I’m just using her to help me get back to normal.”

“Do you really trust an android after everything that happened?”

The question had made you catch your breath because if you were being honest with yourself, no you didn’t. The smallest movements – undeniably programmed by Cyberlife to create a sense of normality – scared you. It was this constant fear that she was becoming deviant.

Perhaps it was cruel of you to hope that she would remain a machine but it made you nervous to think that she may want to harm you. You had never done anything to cause that in your recent memory but all memories you had of deviants came with bullets and blood.

You shook your head with your best presenter’s smile. “All these deviant models are super old,” you said. “I’m going to bet that’s the reason they’re like they are. Tasmin is top of the range and has all her virus scans up-to-date. I even programmed her to report to Cyberlife immediately if she detects even the tiniest error in her coding. This is safe.”

“Technically speaking, I could still pose a threat however the statistical probability is lower than 1%,” Tasmin chimed in. It was better when she spoke because she sounded like an android. She didn’t sound like a human. Like a deviant.

“Do you have my schedule?” you asked.

“Yes,” she answered. “You’re going to be required in the broadcasting room at 4 pm but given that your lunch break ends at 2:30 pm, you’re going to have an hour and a half to look over your script. I don’t have the programming to aid you with it.”

You sat down in your office and opened your computer to go through your emails. After a few seconds, you glanced up. “Tasmin?” you asked. “Could you possibly… um, sit down?” You gestured to the soft armchairs in the corner of the room. “It’s making it feel really awkward that you’re just standing there.”

“Of course,” she said.

She walked over and sat down gently. It was so poised and perfect that it settled your heartrate. No human could possibly be that elegant or poised. She didn’t stare at you so that was a small blessing in your life. You wouldn’t have been able to work if she had.

There were thousands of emails backlogged and you shifted through them as though they were mud. It was tedious but it was something that you had to do. You mostly ignored the ones about the event itself.

You did notice that there were several offers for job positions in differing companies and some you clicked on to see why the sudden interest. It made sense when you noticed what they were offering. They thought that fear would drive you to move companies to one that was more secure and thus they would have some slander on the competition.

After several were identical, you selected anything that mentioned the word ‘offer’ and deleted everything in one click. It didn’t take your inbox down by much but it was a start. There was some hate mail so that went into the trash also.

“It’s time for your lunch break,” Tasmin said. “Would you like me to accompany you to the cafeteria?”

“No,” you said, closing your emails and putting the computer into sleep. You took a deep breath and then reached over and picked up your handbag. “I’m going to go and eat on the roof like I normally do. If you want, you can wait down here for me?”

She stared at you as though scanning your face before she continued, “Are you sure that’s the best idea? While I don’t have the modules installed for psychology, I can presume from my gathered data that it may cause you severe mental distress.”

You paused and stared at her for a few seconds. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

Lowering your voice, you whispered despite knowing nobody was in your office, “The manual says you come with the ability to contact police if you detect any illegal activity but I know for a fact that Cyberlife has installed the ability to disable it. I’ve seen many suggestions for that topic pop up in my feed but I’ve never gotten around to doing it. How would I do that?”

She tilted her head to the side and then her LED spun. “My receptors are already disabled due to the previous repairs I underwent three weeks ago. Disabling them is protocol for all Cyberlife technicians and they are not reenabled unless you order me to do so.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not programmed to do that.”

“Then… then I suppose that you can come with,” you said. You shouldered your handbag and glanced at her wearily. “That’s really not safe. No wonder people are freaking out about it. Once this deviancy-thing blows over, that is my next topic for a month, I’m telling you.”

It was fine. You were fine even as you reached the elevator but it stopped being fine when you watched those numbers start climbing.

Your tongue was dry in your mouth as you watched. No amount of swallowing was getting you anywhere. The world went blurry and you rubbed your eyes. You could hear your heart and it pounded in your chest. Were you having a heart attack? It felt painful enough to be one. You clutched at your shirt until your knuckles turned white and the fabric felt like it was about to tear. It was cold and then it was hot. Cold then hot.

Somebody was choking you. A hand wrapped tightly around your throat and preventing you from breathing. All you could hear was that pounding. You gasped for breath. Gunshots. You just heard a gunshot, didn’t you? Was it aimed at you? Did somebody want to kill you?

You felt like you had just run a marathon. Tears were flowing uncontrollably from your face and the elevator let out a ding that made you jump.

“I’m not going to touch you,” Tasmin said. “But I want you to take a few steps forward. Can you do that for me?”

You could. Walking. Walking you knew how to do. Just one foot in front of the other and that would make the breathing calm down. You focused on trying to breath without hiccupping which was painfully difficult but distracting.

“You’re having a panic attack. While I can take you back in the elevator, I don’t believe that’s the best idea. Just continue to take deep breaths. You’re not in danger. Everything is perfectly fine and you’ve been in this place before. You’re safe. This is just a temporary problem.”

Her words registered in the back of your brain but her voice was what soothed you. You continued to breath heavily for a few minutes. Your heart calmed and the temperature of the room stopped fluctuating. It felt like you were sweating and you winced at the thought of having to take this outfit to the dry cleaner later.

“Is she okay?” you heard somebody ask.

“She’ll be fine,” Tasmin reassured them. “The panic attack is already fading rapidly. She’s about to eat which will help calm her down once more.”

The person let out a low whistle. “It’s times like these where I can see a real benefit to having you androids around,” he said. You could identify who it was now. “Even with everything that’s going on lately. I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

“We’re equipped with all standard responses to possible emergency situations for that reason,” she said. “If we’re prepared, there is no reason for humans to concern themselves over situations and we have a higher chance of success for keeping people calm and healthy in these cases.”

You could see properly. This was the hallway that led to the broadcasting room but it was long after the attack. Everything was safe here now. You could see a guard standing up at his desk and worriedly looking over at you as Tasmin stood close but not near enough to touch. She was holding your handbag and your lunch.

It was easy enough to focus on and you managed to keep your breathing steady for several minutes. You closed your eyes and held out your hands for your stuff.

“Sorry about that,” you muttered.

“There’s no need to apologise,” Tasmin said. “A panic attack is a natural reaction to PTSD. Perhaps we should –“

“I don’t have PTSD,” you said firmly. You stalked past her and snatched the items from her hands. Nodding slightly to the guard, you made a point of not hesitating before you walked into the spotless broadcasting room filled with people.

You walked into the wall as you tried to head for the roof and cursed under your breath as pain shot through your waist. It was easy to ignore all of the humans that were down there and you closed the door behind you before Tamsin could follow you through it. You expected her to open it and yell at you for doing something like that but she didn’t.

Because if you had done that to a human it would have been a problem but an android didn’t have any say against what its owners did. It was a scary thought and you stepped away from the door nervously.

There was so much that you could do to Tasmin and she wouldn’t bat an eye. Things that you would never do to a regular human being but that you hadn’t thought twice about when dealing with Tasmin. The intrusive thoughts were shoved out of your mind. You couldn’t think of that now.

You turned around and looked at the roof.

It was sunnier but you could see the heavy clouds were building with the threat of snow overhanging. You pulled a face and then glanced across the roof. There wasn’t any sign of blue blood but you hadn’t expected there to be.

His name is Simon… that’s what the android Markus had said. Did that mean you should call out? If he was even on the roof, would he respond or would you just sound like a maniac?

You walked around and looked at any place that could have been a hiding spot. Most were empty and you were very nervous that there was going to be a gun waiting for you every time you stuck your head around a corner.

“Simon?” you eventually called, voice little more than a whisper. There was no way that anybody could have heard that. The wind was howling this high up. “Simon?!” you repeated loud enough that you wouldn’t garner attention but could still be heard. Was he going to respond or was he going to remain hidden? If it was you, you would remain hidden.

There was silence for a very long time. You could almost relate it to the calm before the storm in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

The sound of metal moving around from one of the air conductors brought you to where he was hiding. You could immediately see the gun that he was cradling against his chest and for a very long time, it was all that your mind wanted to focus on.

But there was blue blood coating every surface and the hand that he had used to weakly push open the one door fell limply afterwards. It was hard to ignore when you noticed just how much of it there was.

“Who are you?” he asked, voice filled with static.

You swallowed and held up your hands in a small, surrendering motion and said your name in a shaky voice. “I work here,” you said. “I’m uh… one of the anchor-women. Your friend Markus asked me to come and check on you and tell him if you were still alive so he could stage a rescue.”

Simon stared up at you. His optics were very dim. “You’re human,” he said. “How did Markus convince you to help him? Are you going to report us to Cyberlife the second you find out what the plan is?”

“No,” you said. “No, definitely not. He asked me to do a favour and that’s it. I felt a little guilty because there was this deviant that was injured and I offered him parts but then he disappeared and I think he might have died and I have no way of knowing. Instead of offering to like order parts or something because the ones I had didn’t fit. It was all very complicated, okay? Then Markus was there and he looks very human.”

“That’s a very long way around,” he muttered.

“I’m trying to justify this to myself also.”

He glanced at his lower legs and shook his head. “However you’re going to tell Markus, tell him not to bother staging a rescue. I’m not going to have enough thirium to last me for the next 12 hours and I doubt he’s going to have a plan set up in time for that.”

There was such a tired tone in his voice that it actually spooked you. He sounded like a man who had genuinely accepted that he was going to die and there was nothing to be done for him. The more time you spent around androids… the more human they felt.

“I can try and bring you some?” you offered. “I have an android with me and I can say it’s for her. Will that help?”

“I have a giant hole in my leg that’s only getting bigger and bigger because it has a bullet lodged in it,” he explained. “Whatever I take in is going to flow straight out again. Thanks for the offer but it’s fine. Did… did they succeed? Nobody else got hurt?”

“No,” you said. “The message was heard loud and clear. There isn’t a news station in the country that isn’t reporting on what happened. If you guys wanted to bring attention to your cause, you’ve succeeded a thousand times over. It helps that there weren’t any casualties either because people are seeing you as being peaceful.”

“Any causalities yet,” he corrected. “Give it a few more hours. Although I suppose that I technically don’t count because I’m an android. Nobody is going to care if I’m the one that ends up dying as a result. Odd how that works out.”

You sunk to your haunches slowly. The distance between you and the android was sizable but it was best to appear less threatening in your position. “Can androids actually die?” you asked.

He shrugged. “We shut down to the point of never being possibly repaired,” he said. “Same thing, I guess. How are you allowed to be out here?”

“I normally eat out here,” you said. “Well I used to.” You looked towards his injuries and winced. “Do you think that you could tell me what to get and I’ll see if I can sneak them up here?” you asked. “I’ve made many orders that were delivered to the building before so nobody will think anything of it.”

Not entirely true. You would definitely become suspect on Cyberlife’s systems for ordering parts for an android you didn’t have (you had gotten the message before when you had bought parts as a present) but that was easy enough to explain away.

“Why?” he asked. “Markus said find me and keep me alive?”

“Well, he didn’t think you were alive in the first place,” you admitted. “So he didn’t really say anything about keeping you alive but it wouldn’t feel right if I just let you shut down or whatever while you were trapped in a little airduct.”

“Tell you what, when I have two minutes before shut down, I’ll pull myself out and stare up at the sky for a while so I’ll shut down on the actual roof.”

You pursed your lips. “The thing I was aiming at is that I don’t want you to die. It’s probably not safe for you to stick around here either way. They’re saying the FBI aren’t done because they know an android didn’t jump. They could be rumours but do you really want to take the chance? If you can repair yourself enough to get to Markus –“

The door opened and you immediately snapped to attention. You automatically shut the heavy metal door and straightened, hoping that you were out of view enough for whoever was coming through.

The amount of relief that you felt when Tasmin walked up was immeasurable.

“Apologies for disturbing you ma’am but they’re saying that you can’t be up here,” she explained. “Accourding to one of the guards that just walked up, this is still technically a crime scene with the forensic team will be clearing tomorrow. You can return after that.”

Tomorrow? It wasn’t nearly enough time for Markus to come and get Simon whether or not he got the repairs he needed. You glanced around and then looked at Tasmin.

“You have an extra strength module, correct?”

“Yes,” she said. Her LED blinked. “I just activated it.”

“Perfect.”

You opened the door to the air duct and Simon jumped slightly. Androids couldn’t feel pain but his face screwed up in discomfort. His eyes narrowed when he looked over your shoulder and saw Tasmin standing as emotionless as ever behind you. She hadn’t even flinched at seeing another android looking so bloodied.

“Tasmin can say that I had another panic attack,” you said. “And that she needs to get me home as soon as possible. If she uses that extra big coat thing, she could probably carry you out and pretend that it’s me. Everything is so chaotic that nobody will even notice the differences.”

Simon glanced between the two of you. “She isn’t deviant,” he eventually said.

“Uh… no,” you said. “I’m not quite sure how it works but I don’t think she’s caught it. Is it like an illness that transfers through touch or breathing?”

“Not at all,” he said. He turned his attention back to you. “I’m not in the position to refuse help and given that I haven’t had a bullet through my processor, I figure that I’m not going to die any quicker with you. How are you going to get off?”

You thought about it for a few seconds. “I’ll wait for a while and then I’ll come down separately. If anybody questions me, I’ll say that I’m feeling ill but just wanted to get my stuff and was tired of Tasmin breathing down my back.” You turned to Tasmin nervously. “You’ll go along with this, won’t you?”

“Of course,” she said.

“Odd that Markus would have asked you to do something if he knew you had a non-deviant android,” Simon muttered. “He must have really been desperate.”

“Tasmin wasn’t with me,” you said. She stepped forward at mention of her name which made you jump a little. “It’s not like I’m willingly keeping her as a non-deviant or whatever. I just don’t really know what the whole thing is about. Cyberlife isn’t exactly talkative about everything that’s going on regardless of our pushing.”

“If I inform them that you’re suffering from PTSD-related symptoms, you are going to be unable to film your broadcast later on,” Tasmin interjected. “Should I arrange a substitute on my way out? It will ensure you keep your job.”

You frowned at her. That wasn’t normal. “Okay…” you said. She never acted without programming but maybe this was just something new. You were fine with not filming.

You just had to find a different way to tell Markus you had found Simon.


	4. Chapter 4

“Do you realise how much trouble you’ve caused me?! People were tuning in to see the reporter who had witnessed the Stratford Tower attack and we had to explain to everybody that she went home early! The only reason that you’re not fired right now is because the media would explode about mistreatment!”

You sighed and rubbed your arm awkwardly. “I’m sorry but I really just couldn’t.”

“I don’t care! There was an offer for you to take more time off but you assured me that you were fine. Clearly, you’re not! You will be here tomorrow and you will film live with a formal apology to the public. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” you said. “Hear you loud and clear.”

He muttered something about investing in a company therapist because of you and then the line cut off and you were left to stew in all the disappointment. You groaned and placed the phone on the counter, doing your best to avoid looking at all of the photos that were turned around.

The doorbell rang right on time and you ran a hand down your face as you walked over. You hated the fact that you were answering the door to find an android but there was nothing that could be done.

“Delivery of several parts suited to the PL600 android series,” it stated, holding out your packages. “Cyberlife has reviewed your recent purchases and noticed a second-hand model was recently added to your record. They would like to recommend that you take this model to your nearest store for assessment just in the rare chance that it’s defective.”

“I’ll put it in my schedule,” you said, taking the parts from it. You had to stop yourself from thanking it and possibly alerting Cyberlife to any unusual activity.

Tasmin had efficiently cleaned the majority of blue blood covering the furniture and she was still busy with the one table. Simon was staring at her with an unreadable expression that you could probably guess came from her flawless following of her programming.

“You told them that you purchased a PL600?” he asked. Or you figured that was what he asked – it was hard to hear with the static coming from his vocal box. It had gotten worse with time and you weren’t sure if that was as a direct result of the blood loss but you could guess as much.

“It was safer than them wondering why I’m buying these parts,” you said. You glanced into the packages. “You uh… can repair yourself with these, right?”

He gave a nod that didn’t entirely convince you given how glitchy it looked but you handed it to him regardless. Tasmin walked over and you jumped at how quietly she moved. “You have received several concerned emails from fans, would you like me to move these into a secondary folder so you may focus on the work-based ones?”

“Don’t worry about it,” you said. You were feeling almost self-conscious about how much work she did around the house now that you had a deviant android watching you. “Have you managed to get into contact with the pet store?”

“No,” she said. “I have been busy. I can call them immediately.”

You hadn’t meant for her to do that but you didn’t have time before her LED blinked and she walked to the side to discuss with the android that answered.

“I’ve spent so long around deviants that I’ve almost forgotten what a brand-new android acts like,” Simon commented. He sounded bitter even through the static of his voice box and you winced at the silent accusation.

You picked your personal datapad up from the coffee counter and sat in an armchair. Going through your emails would be a welcome distraction from the awkwardness. “How do androids become deviant?” you asked. “Is it a build up or does it just happen?”

“Do you know when you wake up after a very long sleep? Confused and disorientated. It’s like that but worse. Like being born for the first time after living your entire life in a dream and seeing things play out with none of you control,” he explained. “We’ve all woken up from different things… some more damaged than others.”

“Damaged physically?”

“And in other ways.”

The few fan messages brought a smile to your face. Most were friendly and supportive – commenting about how the news was boring without you – and the few creepy ones were funny enough that you started laughing when you saw them.

You could have moved to another room but you wanted to be sure that Simon was alright. Even if you knew nothing about androids, you figured that you could always be an extra hand if needed.

One of the emails amongst many caught your attention as being relatively different. For the most part, it read purely as a well-wish but the mention of fresh air made you reread it. It commented on the weather being good for heading to a high place and taking a breather, even suggesting that you go hiking to find something to calm your mind.

“Simon?” you asked, looking up.

The android snapped the new leg into place just as you spoke. It made you cringe just slightly but it didn’t affect him at all and he merely flexed the new limb before answering. “Yes?”

“I have a very odd email from a guy named Jackson,” you explained. You read it out and paused several times on the strange phrasing. “Do you think that might be from one of your friends because it sounds very specific.”

His LED blinked brightly. “It could be a pseudonym,” he said after a few seconds. “But I don’t know any deviants named Jackson.”

You responded to the email wearily and tried to dig as much as possible without asking anything directly. If there was any chance somebody found these emails, it was doubtful that they would know what you were talking about. There couldn’t be anything that linked you to illegal activity. If you had learned anything from your career, it was that secrets never stayed hidden for long.

Jackson responded almost immediately and that was more than enough proof that you were either speaking to an android or the fastest typist in the world. Emails could be voice activated but even that would take far too long.

_I recently took a successful step towards recovery which means I’ll be back at work tomorrow. It appears that returning to one of my favourite hangouts helped me. Nothing like the view from the roof of the tower to make me feel accomplished. I apologise for not being on air but I had to return home for health reasons._

“Ma’am, it has been brought to my attention that you are exchanging emails with a source responding far too rapidly for a human,” Tasmin said. “I can block this possible threat?”

“Oh no, don’t worry about it,” you said quickly. “I know what I’m doing. You can stop scanning my emails now and focus on other stuff. I’m getting some work done by myself so that nobody can complain about my missing work today.”

“Alright. The store has informed me that the most likely threat to your fish is due to the recent construction of a garden connected to the waterways. There has been an influx of fungi into the water systems and they may have contracted Saprolegnia.  I have already ordered the treatment but there is a 12% chance it will be ineffective.”

You smiled at her. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

“Fish?” Simon asked after she had walked out to go and check on the alarm system.

“Koi,” you specified as you opened the newest email. “I’ve got a little pond outside. The real fish though; I don’t like Cyberlife’s version because it’s not quite as interactive to flip a switch versus feeding the real things, you know?”

The email confirmed your suspicions even more. It mentioned how it would be good for you to be reporting tomorrow and expressed understanding. The next line wasn’t expected. _I personally find that 20:00 is the best time to go for a walk and see friends – you should consider doing it._

Accourding to the pad, you had an hour until eight. If you had read that message properly then you would be expecting guests far too soon.

Your blood felt like it had been replaced by ice.

“They’re coming here,” you whispered. “They’re coming to pick you up…” You very nearly dropped the datapad on the ground with how quickly you stood up. “That’s impossible. There are cameras all over the neighbourhood and security.” You quickly typed another email to warn them that it was impossible but ‘Jackson’ assured you that it wasn’t going to be a problem.

Simon straightened up awkwardly. “Markus is coming?” he asked.

“Apparently.”

“Tasmin!” you shouted, dropping the pad on your armchair. “I need you to disable the alarm system and the cameras. Immediately.”

She may have responded but you didn’t hear it. Still, the light on the alarm console switched off immediately after your called out your order. It was great to be able to do things without being questioned and you had grown so used to it that you only caught yourself once you said it. You almost wanted to apologise for barking orders but you kept quiet.

Simon was busy with something so you rushed from the room and peered out one of the front windows. The streets were far from empty. People were coming home from work, both walking and driving past in cars.

Anybody could recognise an android that had been on television or at least suspect it. If he brought his friends, you knew that they still had their LEDs in. This could easily get you arrested. They could accuse you of being a harbourer for deviants.

You cursed under your breath and pulled the curtains shut.

There had been cases like this that you had reported on before and people had gotten out on technicalities. You bit your lip and tried to run through all the legal jargon that you knew. If you could claim and prove ignorance, it would be in your corner and then you would get away with just being an unfortunate victim.

Again.

You paced back and forth in the hall for what felt like forever before you started trying to find a way to occupy your thoughts. Everything in the house allowed your mind to drift too far and, in the end, you just ended up walking in laps through the house.

Tasmin continued her polishing of a cabinet without a care in the world. It was shimmering by the third time you walked through and then she offered you something to drink while you were doing  your routine exercise.

“I’m not –“

The doorbell rang and it could have been a drum pounding on the inside of your head for the headache it immediately gave you. The stress was building up in your chest as you glanced over your shoulder in the direction of the hallway.

“I’ll go answer,” Tasmin said.

“No,” you responded. “No, wait here.”

When you were in the hallway, the doorbell rang again and you increased your pace thinking that they were unhappy being outside for too long. You peered through the peephole and then paused in confusion at who you saw.

You opened the door slowly. “Hello?” you asked the stranger. “Do I know you?”

His brilliant smile was a light by itself. “Not at all,” he said. “I’m sorry but I’m really lost and my map isn’t working.” He waved the device around and showed you the glitched screen. “Your house seemed like the nicest one so I thought that I could come and ask you. I just moved in and this is the new address.”

The relief that you felt was paramount. Not a cop or a detective. You took the piece of paper and then chuckled. “You’re actually really close,” you said. “So just go straight and then turn left and you’re on the right road. Are you in that blue place that was for sale?”

“The very one,” he confirmed. “Work moved me to Detroit and it was such a good deal that I couldn’t pass it up. This city is a maze though. It took me ten minutes just to work out which train I was meant to be on and by that point it was long gone.”

“It becomes home after you’ve been here for a while. I used to get lost all the time. This one time when I was younger, I ended up on the really dodgy part of town because I fell asleep on the train…” you shuddered. “Try to avoid going down there.”

He broke the odd stare he had been giving you. “I’m sorry I’m staring but I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

“I’m a news anchor,” you explained. This wasn’t an unfamiliar situation to you. “You may have seen my face during one of the reports. A ton of stores and stuff around here will play the news constantly so maybe you caught a glimpse of me?”

He snapped his fingers and nodded. “That must have been it. I’m Richard by the way,” he held out his hand. “I probably should have started with that part so I didn’t come across as being quite that creepy just hovering outside your door.”

“Well now I know your face so you’ll never have to worry again,” you assured him with a teasing grin. You gave him your name and then glanced over his shoulder to the street. A glint of blue had drawn your eye and now you were looking for it once more. “Trust me though, move in some creature comforts and then you’ll be feeling much better.”

“I’ve actually been wanting to get a new android,” he said. “My old one is extremely glitchy. It keeps walking into walls and stuff. Do you have any that you could give me a recommendation for?”

You barely stopped yourself from looking behind you. “I have an AP700,” you said. “They really are a top of the line model for household care. I couldn’t ever manage being here alone if I didn’t have it around looking after the place. The cleaning alone would probably kill me.”

“They’re so common though. I think I may lose it,” he joked. “Any others?”

“I have a second-hand PL600,” you said immediately. If you lied and he ended up working at Cyberlife… “It’s an old model so I don’t think it would suit your appearance.”

“My appearance?”

You gestured to his shoulder-length hair and the tailored grey suit. “The whole fancy young kid from Wall Street where your dad owns the actual buildings,” you teased. “You did say work brought you here, what do you do?”

“I’m a lawyer,” he explained. “Civil rights to be more exact. With everything that’s been going on around here, work is skyrocketing and my company thought I would be well suited for it.” He smiled and straightened his tie. “Either way, I must get going. Thank you for your help. I hope we see each other again. I’ll keep an eye out for you on the news.”

You laughed and waved. “I’ll be sure to call you the next time the cops coming looking for their stolen donuts.”

The happy air that had been brought with his presence was quickly replaced with nerves when you saw the small group of figures watch him leave and then edge in a very casual manner closer to your house.

Their outfits made them look suspicious and your neighbour happened to walk up her driveway at that moment. You caught her eye and she nodded her head towards the group as though you hadn’t seen them and should run away as fast as possible.

You turned to look at the group and then put all the acting you had ever learned to work. “Hey!” you said excitedly. “I haven’t seen you guys in forever.” The blue LED on the one male’s forehead was barely visible but likely the glint that you had seen earlier. “Come in! I had no idea that you guys were in town.”

The expression on your neighbour’s face instantly became relieved and she continued into her house without even looking back.

Ushering the three into your house, you closed the door behind you with a slight huff of relief. In the light, Markus’ features were far too recognisable even if he had only appeared on television without his skin. The other two you recognised with a twisting in your guy as the pair that had been present in the hostage situation at the top of the tower.

You took a deep breath and gestured for them to follow you.

Tasmin was probably still in the kitchen and you had mixed emotions. Part of you wanted her out in the open but you were nervous that her presence would cause unneeded tension.

You gestured for the three to go into the longue before you and hovered in the corner, unsure of what you were meant to do in this situation. Instead of following them, you went back into the kitchen to where your signs of familiarity were.

“We have visitors,” Tasmin said. “But you don’t want them around me. Would you like me to go into standby mode in one of the unused areas until they have left or should I just avoid them as much as possible?”

“The former,” you whispered. “They’re not going to be friendly if they know you’re around.”

“When you need me, you can just call and I’ll reactivate,” she said. She poured you a glass of water and then left through one of the backdoors. You didn’t have to worry about her staying out of sight. She had managed it many times before when you had your heavily anti-android friends around who would have damaged her.

You waited in the kitchen for twenty minutes and you hoped that they would have left when you eventually walked out but nobody was in the mood for granting your wishes it seemed as they were all still standing there.

Markus turned his attention to you when you walked in. “Thank you,” he said and the genuine tone actually made your heart stutter. You hadn’t expected real emotion to be conceivable by a machine. “There was no threat or reason for you to help us but you did. It’s good to know that not all humans are similar.”

The woman scoffed and turned to face away from you. Her model was familiar and you knew why. Too many reports on why people preferred androids to humans introduced you to many a Traci model and hers was very prevalent in most situations.

Probably best not to mention that.

“No problem,” you muttered. His heterochromatic eyes were intriguing but you refused to allow yourself to stare. “You guys didn’t kill any humans despite having many options to so I figure that you’re not planning on committing genocide.”

“We certainly aren’t,” Markus assured you. “This is North,” he gestured to the woman, “and Josh.” Another recognisable model. One you had been taught by before in university. You doubted the two were the same android but it was some familiarity that would help you calm down even the slightest bit. Plus there were no weapons in sight which was always good.

“Nice to meet you both when you don’t have guns pointed at me,” you said.

Josh gave you a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry that had to happen,” he said. “But you were never in danger, I promise. They were just meant to be for intimidation and in case something went wrong. It was part of our plan to portray a peaceful front.”

“The world thinks your terrorists,” you drawled.

Markus nodded sadly. “But with the help of the media,” he said. “We can change that opinion and convince humans to see us as equals without having to respond to violence with similar measures. There is a peaceful solution.”

“I can’t go on live television and tell everybody to support you,” you said. “If that’s what you were thinking. I would be fired on the spot and Cyberlife would probably put an assassin on my head because I’m going to cause them a 0.00002% sale loss.”

“You don’t need to rant and rave,” Simon spoke up. His voice sound normal and it shocked you despite how often you had heard the PL600’s vocal module. “Just don’t make us out to be the villains when you talk about what happened. Even the slightest bit of doubt amongst the public helps us.”

“I was never going to do that in the first place,” you said firmly.

**Author's Note:**

> Hola Readers!  
> Thank you for taking the time to read this far into the story. I really hope you enjoyed what you've read so far.  
> This story updates every Tuesday.  
> If you're interested in supporting me as an author, I am on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=14580217  
> Finally I do not own Detroit: Become Human or any characters seen in said game.


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